Ravens: How Baltimore’s front office built the NFL’s most complete team

Over the past several seasons, the Baltimore Ravens assembled the NFL’s most complete team.

From 2015-17, the Baltimore Ravens went 22-26 during the regular season and missed the playoffs three times. The team hadn’t undergone a three-year drought since first arriving in Baltimore from 1996-1999.

In the post-Ray Lewis/Ed Reed era, the Ravens needed a new foundation to recapture their winning ways.

Baltimore overcame its rocky stretch during the middle of the decade by landing multiple superstars in the draft, making advantageous trades, and signing high-profile free agents.

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The Baltimore Ravens draft process

Baltimore’s rebuild began in 2016 when the team selected Ronnie Stanley with the sixth overall pick. While he didn’t thrive immediately, the left tackle helped erase the memory of a tragic 2015 draft that featured Breshad Perriman, Maxx Williams and Carl Davis as the team’s top-three picks. The Ravens also hit on a late-round selection in 2016, netting Grand Valley State’s Matt Judon.

It took several years, but Judon and Stanley both became Pro Bowlers in 2019. Judon took over for Za’Darius Smith and Terrell Suggs, who both left via free agency during the 2019 offseason. Stanley even earned Pro Football Focus’ Pass Blocker of the Year award. According to PFF’s Sam Monson:

"Stanley’s PFF pass-blocking grade of 93.7 isn’t just the best mark for tackles this season, it’s one of the best grades we’ve ever given to a tackle. The only players to notch a better pass-blocking grade over a season since PFF has been grading are Jonathan Ogden (94.7), David Bakhtiari (94.0), and Joe Thomas (twice, 94.0 and 93.8)."

The Ravens followed up 2016 with another successful draft, selecting Alabama’s Marlon Humphrey in the first round and stealing Virginia Tech’s Chuck Clark in the sixth. Humphrey received a First-Team All-Pro selection last season and he earned PFF’s fourth-highest grade in man-coverage. According to PFF’s Ben Linsey, Humphrey’s “10 forced incompletions in man last season were a career-high and trailed only Gilmore and Darius Slay.”

Despite Baltimore’s success in 2016 and 2017, the 2018 NFL Draft stands out as an exceptional performance by the front office. In Ozzie Newsome’s final draft as general manager, Baltimore selected three Pro Bowlers. The team traded up to pick No. 32 for Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, which was a controversial decision at the time. Baltimore used its next two picks on right tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and tight end Mark Andrews.

Baltimore’s 2019 draft class underwhelmed as rookies but it takes some players a year to get traction in the NFL. For instance, Jackson only started seven games as a rookie and Brown only started 10 games before turning in Pro Bowl campaigns last season.

The Ravens continued their hot streak in the draft this year, grabbing several top prospects. Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison could both seize starting jobs in Week 1. Meanwhile, J.K. Dobbins, Devin Duvernay and Justin Madubuike could claim their spots in the starting lineup within the next two years.

Opportunistic Trading

Despite being one of the NFL’s premier franchises, Baltimore has no trouble trading with competitors. In their most recent escapade, the Ravens took advantage of the crumbling Jacksonville Jaguars. For a lowly fifth-round pick, Baltimore got former All-Pro defensive end Calais Campbell.

During his three years with the Jaguars, Campbell made the Pro Bowl every season and amassed 31.5 sacks. He adds some fangs to a defense that didn’t produce a ten-sack defender last season. Campbell also plays an essential role against the run. He was PFF’s Run Defender Of The Year for 2019.

The Campbell acquisition came less than a year after Baltimore traded Kenny Young and a fifth-round pick for Marcus Peters. The cornerback got kicked out of Kansas City for his attitude and never stabilized in Los Angeles. However, Peters looked rejuvenated when he arrived in Baltimore.

The 27-year-old earned First-Team All-Pro honors and intercepted three passes during his ten games with the Ravens. Peters also posted PFF’s second-best grade in man-coverage, only trailing New England’s Stephon Gilmore. Peters forms arguably the NFL’s best cornerback duo with Marlon Humphrey.

Baltimore also made some positive changes by trading away players. The Ravens flipped Hayden Hurst to Atlanta for the draft pick they used on J.K. Dobbins. The fourth-rounder they got in exchange for Joe Flacco turned into Justice Hill. In 2017, Baltimore traded Jeremy Zuttah for a sixth-round pick that became Chuck Clark.

Impact free agent signings

The Ravens haven’t been shy about spending money in free agency either. This offseason, the team signed Derek Wolfe. Wolfe, who set a career-high with seven sacks last season, joins Campbell and Brandon Williams along the defensive line. Baltimore also brought in former Seahawk D.J. Fluker to compete for Marshal Yanda’s old spot at right guard.

Past offseasons yielded even more signings. In 2019, the Ravens added Pro Bowlers Mark Ingram and Earl Thomas. While the Thomas signing didn’t work out in the long run, it provided Baltimore with one of the league’s most talented defensive backfields. Speaking of backfields, Ingram played a pivotal role in the team’s record-setting offense last year.

All of the acquisitions, selections, and signings Baltimore threw together over the past several years led to a 14-2 record and the top seed in the AFC last season. With Campbell, Dobbins, Queen, and Wolfe joining the picture this year, the Ravens should produce a top-five offense and a top-five defense. Having a fantastic coaching staff featuring John Harbaugh, Don Martindale and Greg Roman doesn’t hurt either.